Department for Transport

Rail North

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount that could be saved by Rail North adopting financial arrangements similar to those by which Transport Scotland is acquiring new rolling stock at advantageous prices by giving a residual guarantee that it will be used for franchises beyond that now in place.

Baroness Kramer: As set out in the March 2012 Rail Command Paper, the Government’s policy is for a market led approach to rolling stock with flexibility for bidders on the rolling stock solutions. The commercial and risk position of the ScotRail franchise is a matter for Transport Scotland. The relevant documents are commercially confidential between Transport Scotland and the franchisee and the Department for Transport is unable to comment on whether there is a price advantage as a result of the approach. Price is an important consideration for rolling stock procurement, as are risk transfer to the private sector and flexibility.

Railways: Lancashire

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions Network Rail had with Lancashire County Council and Bolton Council in advance of the bridge closures in Adlington, Lancashire.

Baroness Kramer: Network Rail had extensive discussions and meetings to plan the work with both Lancashire County Council and Bolton Councils in excess of 12 months in advance of the bridge closures in Adlington, Lancashire. Town councillors, borough councillors and county councillors were brought together in one room to discuss the work. Importantly this gauged their preferences on the order in which bridges would be rebuilt in the Adlington area before any orders were submitted to the local authority. Network Rail also held information events for elected members and the public to learn about the work before it commenced.

Railways: Lancashire

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions Network Rail had with parliamentarians and local councillors in advance of work beginning on the bridges in Adlington, Lancashire.

Baroness Kramer: Network Rail had a meeting with the Rt Hon Member for Chorley (Lindsay Hoyle MP) in winter 2013/14 and met with the Hon Member for Bolton West (Julie Hilling MP) in February 2014 to give an overview of the bridge and tunnel works required in 2014/15. Network Rail held meetings with all tiers of local government, including town councillors, borough councillors and county councillors.

Railways: Lancashire

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the earliest date that each bridge in Adlington, Lancashire, could reopen.

Baroness Kramer: Grimeford Lane will be re-opened by the end of week commencing 16 March. The dates of closure for the other roads at present are in accordance with the following programme:- Chorley Road – (skew bridge) full closure from 26 January – 19 June 2015 - Rawlinson Lane – full closure from 5 January – 22 May 2015 - Station Road, Blackrod – full closure from 2 February – 15 May 2015.

Railways: Lancashire

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what compensation will be offered to businesses detrimentally impacted by the closure of the bridges in Adlington, Lancashire.

Baroness Kramer: Both by successive governments and in law it has been concluded that businesses do not have an entitlement to compensation from such work. As Network Rail receives a significant amount of public funding and is responsible for over 30,000 structures it is not in a position to provide compensation for each disruption.

Railways: Lancashire

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what compensation has been offered to any business affected by the bridge works programme from Manchester to Blackpool.

Baroness Kramer: Both successive governments and in law it has been concluded that businesses do not have an entitlement to compensation from such work. As Network Rail receives a significant amount of public funding and are responsible for over 30,000 structures it is not in a position to provide compensation for each disruption.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the reported shooting of a fisherman off the coast of Gaza on 7 March and about their reported reduction of the fishing limit to four miles.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have not raised this particular case with the Israeli authorities, they have voiced concern over the Israel Defence Force’s use of live fire against fishermen.The fishing limit remains at six nautical miles.

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to protect Palestinian families living in East Jerusalem from the occupation and demolition of their houses.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We make clear, on a regular basis to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with our EU partners, our serious concerns about the demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure in East Jerusalem. Such acts are contrary to international humanitarian law, cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, and are harmful to the peace process.We continue to support Palestinians facing demolition or eviction through support to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme which helps individuals to challenge these decisions in the Israeli legal system. We are also funding the International Peace and Cooperation Centre, an independent Palestinian non-profit organisation, to support long-term planning for Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the environmental consequences of the agreement between Israel and Jordan to pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not made any assessment of the environmental consequences of the agreement between Israel and Jordan to pipe water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea, other than that this project has the potential to curb the loss of the Dead Sea.

Occupied Territories

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support the Palestinian Authority’s action to encourage Israel to assume all responsibilities for the Occupied Territories according to international law.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and hold a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. We note the Palestinian decision to submit instruments of accession to a number of international conventions on 31 December 2014. However, we continue to believe that the best way for Palestinian aspirations on statehood to become a reality, including on the ground, is through a negotiated two-state solution.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of North Korea about the disappearance of the Canadian clergyman, the Reverend Hyeon Soo Lim, during a visit to that country.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK does not have consular responsibility for Canadian nationals in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). However, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development has confirmed that a Canadian citizen is detained in the DPRK.

Gibraltar: Spain

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the actions of the government of Spain in the light of the incursion of a Spanish corvette into British Gibraltar territorial waters on 25 February.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Royal Navy challenged the incursion by Spanish navy vessel Infanta Elena on 25 February, as it does all such unlawful maritime incursions in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. We backed this up by making a formal diplomatic protest to the Spanish government, as is our standard practice. Spanish incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters do not weaken or undermine the legal basis in international law for British sovereignty over Gibraltar including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The British Government regularly makes clear this position to the Spanish government.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning its reported policy of setting dogs on civilians.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities over this issue. We do understand, however, that the Operations Commander in the Central Command of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has ordered a halt to the use of dogs in arrest missions until the procedure is reviewed. The IDF is investigating an incident in which IDF soldiers used dogs to stop Palestinians accused of stone-throwing near Hebron. An IDF official said the soldiers’ behaviour was improper, and would be met with disciplinary measures.

World War II: Genocide

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to encourage international partners to implement the Terezin Declaration.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Of the five subject areas covered in the Terezin Declaration, Holocaust education and remembrance are very effectively covered through the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). As Chair of IHRA for the last year we have worked hard to promote international sharing of best practice among member states and beyond and to encourage additional countries to join. Issues of relevance to property restitution have presented much greater challenges. We have worked closely with the European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) in Prague to stimulate better provenance research and to encourage governments to implement the commitments they made on restitution, both at Terezin and by signing up to the Washington Declaration. ESLI is also planning to organise an international meeting on social welfare for Holocaust survivors, and we have been contributing to the planning process. Sir Andrew Burns, the UK Ambassador for Post-Holocaust Issues, regularly discusses these issues with the governments concerned.

Palestinians

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to assist the Palestinian Authority to meet its financial obligation to its employees in the light of the refusal by the government of Israel to transfer funds collected each month on the Authority's behalf in taxes and revenue.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have been raising this issue regularly with Israeli officials. Most recently, our Ambassador to Israel and the Head of the Near East Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised our deep concerns about the impact of Israel’s withholding of transfer of tax revenues when they met with the Israeli National Security Adviser on 9 March. We are deeply concerned by Israel’s decision to freeze the transfer of tax revenues and the impact this will have on the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel must continue to fulfil its obligations under the Oslo Accords, including through the transfer of tax revenue to the PA.

Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are specifically working in the area of freedom of religion or belief; how many working hours are committed to that task in an average week; and whether they have any plans to give that task greater priority and importance.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 18 August 2014 (HL 1693).Given that a large number of different members of staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spend time on this issue it is not possible to estimate an average number of hours devoted to it per week. As one of only six thematic human rights priorities for the FCO, Freedom of Religion or Belief is treated with high importance, and this will continue to be the case.

Middle East

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals concerning persecution and atrocities against Christians in the Middle East they intend to lay before the United Nations Security Council at its meeting on 27 March.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: At the meeting of the UN Security Council on 27 March, we will call for renewed efforts to tackle the systematic and deliberate attacks against religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East and North Africa, including Christians. We deplore all discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. We regularly urge all governments in the region to ensure the protection of all religious minorities. We encourage them to develop inclusive political systems that represent all of their citizens. We also work proactively in the region to promote community cohesion and inclusive governance. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have been responsible for many recent atrocities committed against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. We condemn these appalling acts and are committed to defeating ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained international strategy as part of the efforts of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. The humanitarian aid provided by the UK will have helped many victims of ISIL’s atrocities, including the protection of vulnerable groups. The UK co-sponsored the resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Council on 1 September which highlights ISIL’s abhorrent actions and commits to a team of experts going to Iraq to investigate these atrocities. The findings of this investigation are due to be discussed later this month. In both Iraq and Syria we will continue to look at every available option to ensure accountability, and to work with our international partners on what can be done to both assist the victims and survivors and to bring those responsible to justice.

Attorney General

Charities

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the Attorney General's duties, as the guardian of public interests, in respect of the supervision of charities; and whether the Attorney General has had any discussions with the Charity Commission as regards the use of the finances of the Rowntree Foundations.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Attorney General’s responsibilities, on behalf of the Crown as parens patriae, include representing charity generally, or the beneficiaries of a particular charity, before the courts. The regulation of charities is a matter for the Charity Commission. The Attorney General’s Office does not hold any records of discussions between the Attorney General and the Charity Commission about the finances of the Rowntree Foundations.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Football: Pay

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of football clubs in the Premier League that are not paying the Living Wage.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We make no assessment of the number of football clubs, in Premier League or otherwise, that are not paying the Living Wage. We are committed to improving living standards, particularly for the low paid. We support businesses that voluntarily choose to pay the Living Wage when it is affordable and doesn’t cost jobs. From 1st October 2015 the adult National Minimum Wage rate will increase to £6.70. This is an increase of 3%, faster than projections for both inflation and average earnings. This Government is committed to improving living standards, particularly for the low paid and the only way to achieve a sustainable increase in living standards is to focus on economic growth, employment and cutting taxes for the low paid. This is exactly what we are doing. We are cutting taxes so that people take home more of what they earn: From April 2015 the average person will pay £825 less in income tax than 2010 and over 3.4 million people will be taken out of income tax altogether.

Football: Pay

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of football clubs in the Football League Championship that are not paying the Living Wage.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We make no assessment of the number of football clubs, in Premier League or otherwise, that are not paying the Living Wage. We are committed to improving living standards, particularly for the low paid. We support businesses that voluntarily choose to pay the Living Wage when it is affordable and doesn’t cost jobs. From 1st October 2015 the adult National Minimum Wage rate will increase to £6.70. This is an increase of 3%, faster than projections for both inflation and average earnings. This Government is committed to improving living standards, particularly for the low paid and the only way to achieve a sustainable increase in living standards is to focus on economic growth, employment and cutting taxes for the low paid. This is exactly what we are doing. We are cutting taxes so that people take home more of what they earn: From April 2015 the average person will pay £825 less in income tax than 2010 and over 3.4 million people will be taken out of income tax altogether.

Department for International Development

Proceeds of Corruption Unit

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the resources available to the Proceeds of Corruption Unit.

Baroness Northover: DFID is planning to invest an additional £7.4 million between 2015 and 2020 in the asset recovery work currently carried out by the Proceeds of Corruption Unit in the Metropolitan Police. This is part of a £21 million extension and scale up of support to UK law enforcement to tackle bribery and corruption in developing countries.

Department for Education

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to ensure that all schools in England have teachers trained in careers advice.

Lord Nash: We do not want to prescribe to schools how careers guidance is delivered or by whom. Teachers may have a role in coordinating or providing careers advice within a school but there is no requirement for teachers to hold specific qualifications for careers advice. The very best schools will be giving teachers exposure to employers, industry and enterprise as part of their continuing professional development. The statutory duty on schools focuses on independent careers guidance. Schools can retain in-house arrangements for providing careers guidance but must combine this with support from external sources to meet their legal requirements. This might include support from careers advisers, employers, mentors or coaches.We will soon be publishing updated statutory guidance on careers guidance and inspiration that sets out this approach.

English Language: Education

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during the consultation period that preceded the issue of the current National Curriculum, they took account of the expectation in education systems in continental Europe that teachers are well-informed on the nature of vocabulary and lexical semantics and that they will give separate prominence in mother-tongue teaching; and if so, why they did not include such an emphasis in the National Curriculum of this country.

Lord Nash: The review of the English National Curriculum involved consideration of the curricula of high-performing jurisdictions around the world in which English is the medium of instruction. The high-performing jurisdictions selected for the review, which included looking at how vocabulary development was approached, were all outside continental Europe. The analysis for the review was extended to some non-Anglophone jurisdictions in order to assess how different jurisdictions define expectations around the reading of literature in their curricula. The eight European non-Anglophone jurisdictions selected were Denmark, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Poland.   The report from the review of what we can learn from the English, mathematics and science curricula of high-performing jurisdictions can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-national-curriculum-in-england-what-can-we-learn-from-the-english-mathematics-and-science-curricula-of-high-performing-jurisdictions

School Leaving

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 22 October 2014 (HL2025), on the need to improve the productive use of classroom time following the raising of the school-leaving age in September 2013 and his comment that, "inevitably it will take time for such far-reaching changes to take effect", what evidence they yet have that such changes have begun to take effect.

Lord Nash: Recent evidence suggests that the 16 to 19 funding and study programme reforms are now beginning to have a measurable impact on student provision. Latest official figures[1] show the proportion of 16 year olds in education or apprenticeships at the end of 2013 was 93.8%. These figures reflect the first cohort impacted by raising the participation age and therefore suggest the policy is having a positive impact. The number of students studying in full time education in academic year 2013 to 2014 has increased by 35% on the previous year. In the same period, the number of students studying advanced (level 3) qualifications has increased by 11% and in year data suggests that 16 to 19 student enrolment in English and maths is better than expected with 89% of students without C grades in English and/or maths continuing their study in FE institutions. Additionally, in September 2014 the government published a list of approved Applied General and Tech Level qualifications, improving the quality and relevance of vocational qualifications subjects on offer.  [1] Participation in education, training and employment, age 16 to 18 Statistical First Release https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-employment-age-16-to-18

Schools: Discipline

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 14 July 2014 (WA 103), what evidence they yet have of improved behaviour of school pupils, following their issue of "updated behaviour advice" in February 2014.

Lord Nash: In February 2014, following results of the Teacher Voice survey (2013) which showed that one in three secondary school teachers lacked confidence in their powers to discipline pupils, we updated our behaviour advice to make clear the range of sanctions that it is permissible for schools to deploy for poor behaviour. This update was aimed to reassure teachers of their powers to discipline pupils and increase teacher confidence to confront poor pupil behaviour.   The Teacher Voice survey funded by the Department for Education was repeated in May 2014, just three months after the behaviour advice was updated. The majority of teachers (74 per cent) said that the standard of pupil behaviour in their school is ‘good’ or ‘very good’. This is broadly similar to the findings for 2013 and an increase of 4 percentage points on the respective figure for 2008.  In addition, the Ofsted Annual Report published in December 2014 shows that 83 per cent of schools have behaviour that is good or better. We aim to repeat the same behaviour questions in future waves of the Teacher Voice survey in order to measure change in pupil behaviour over time.

Offences against Children

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the plans to criminalise social workers, teachers and councillors and others who fail to act in the cases of child abuse will have an effect on recruitment to the caring profession and to service on local authority committees; and if so, what.

Lord Nash: The current level of recruitment to children’s social work is strong. Statistics, as of 30 September 2014, show that 26,810 children’s social workers were employed by English local authorities. This is equivalent to 24,620 full-time workers. This Government prioritises the recruitment of social workers. In 2014-15, the Department for Education has provided bursaries and grants for social work students worth £81 million and funded two accelerated entry programmes: Frontline and Step Up to Social Work. These programmes aim to attract high calibre applicants into social work and applications to both programmes have been heavily over-subscribed. The Department is also incentivising new teaching partnership arrangements through a £2 million fund in 2015-16. This will enable social work employers to work hand in hand with universities to bring talented people into social work, provide them with high quality training and support them in work through continuous professional development. The recruitment of high quality social workers is essential for providing the best support and care possible for vulnerable children. The Department believes that highly competent individuals will always act in the best interests of children. The Department has agreed to consult on extending the criminal offence of wilful neglect to cover social workers who fail to act in cases of child abuse and neglect. The potential impact on recruitment to caring positions will be considered fully in the light of consultation responses.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the membership and remit of the group charged with developing a framework of content for initial teacher training; and whether the group will include a balance of representation from university teacher education institutions and school-centred initial teacher training organisations and schools.

Lord Nash: In the government response to the publication of the Carter Review, the Secretary of State for Education commissioned an independent working group, comprising of expert representatives from the sector, to develop a core framework of initial teacher training content. The Secretary of State will be announcing the membership of the group shortly, along with further details about the remit of this work.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role accredited initial teacher training (ITT) providers and their representative bodies will have in developing national standards for ITT mentors in schools.

Lord Nash: In the government response to the publication of the Carter Review, the Secretary of State for Education committed to commissioning the Teaching Schools Council to develop national standards for initial teacher training (ITT) mentors in schools. The Teaching Schools Council will decide how best to engage with the sector to develop these standards, including their engagement with ITT providers.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that newly qualified teachers have access to structured early professional development that builds on and complements their initial training.

Lord Nash: The government is continuing to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in training and developing teachers, including newly qualified teachers. This involves supporting schools to lead on the creation of high-quality training opportunities for teachers through the national network of teaching schools. The Department for Education also recently consulted on options to support teachers’ professional development. The consultation, entitled ‘A World-Class Teaching Profession’, ran from 9 December 2014 to 3 February 2015 and set out proposals designed to support teachers in improving the quality of professional development. The proposals included a fund for professional development and an offer of government support to those working on the establishment of a new, independent professional body – a College of Teaching. An announcement will be made in due course.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the criteria and timetable for allocating initial teacher training places for September 2016.

Lord Nash: We will publish the methodology for our allocation of initial teacher training places for the 2016/17 academic year in due course. This will include information on the criteria that will apply and timing of the process. We will inform interested schools and universities directly as soon as this information is available.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what account will be taken of sustaining existing high quality initial teacher training (ITT) provision when allocating ITT places for September 2016.

Lord Nash: We will publish the methodology for our allocation of initial teacher training places for the 2016/17 academic year in due course. This will include information about how we will take the quality of provision into account.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider allocating initial teacher training (ITT) places for a period of more than one year to facilitate forward planning by ITT providers; and if not why not.

Lord Nash: It is not our intention to allocate initial teacher training places for more than one year for a number of reasons; principally that the market is evolving in response to expansion of school-led provision and we require flexibility to respond to these circumstances.

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that trainees at newly accredited initial teacher training providers receive the quality of training that schools will need.

Lord Nash: All providers of initial teacher training (ITT) are required to obtain accreditation in order to run ITT and to be able to recommend their trainees for qualified teacher status. To be accredited, a provider must design and deliver training which meets the Secretary of State for Education's ITT criteria.[1] This includes demonstrating evidence of the procedures to be established to assess trainee progression against the Teachers’ Standards.  [1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what value-for-money considerations are taken into account when accrediting new initial teacher training providers.

Lord Nash: All accredited initial teacher training (ITT) providers are required to demonstrate how they will deliver, within the funding available, quality provision which meets the Teachers’ Standards and is compliant with the Secretary of State for Education’s ITT criteria.[1]  [1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what account is taken of the likely impact on the future viability of existing higher education institutions and school-centred initial teacher training organisations when accrediting new initial teacher training providers.

Lord Nash: The viability of providers is considered as part of the initial teacher training (ITT) allocations process which is underpinned by the allocations methodology and informed by the Teacher Supply Model.   The accreditation process was established to allow potential new providers to demonstrate in a proposal to the National College for Teaching and Leadership how its provision from the outset is likely to be at least good according to Ofsted, and how it will meet all the Secretary of State for Education’s ITT criteria.[1]  [1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria

Teachers: Training

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how local teacher supply needs are taken into account in decisions about the accreditation of new initial teacher training providers.

Lord Nash: As part of the accreditation process potential new initial teacher training providers are asked to provide a three-year financial plan based on the optimum and minimum number of required trainees. These projections will be based on a range of factors including the provider’s analysis of identified local need.

Ministry of Justice

Property: Ownership

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make it compulsory in future to register the beneficial ownership of all properties purchased in the United Kingdom valued at more than £2 million, including those purchased by companies.

Lord Faulks: The Government has no plans to create a register of the beneficial ownership of properties.

Ministry of Defence

Iraq

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many armed sorties have been carried out by United Kingdom forces, and what ordnance has been released, over Iraq in each of the last three months.

Lord Astor of Hever: The UK has deployed two types of armed aircraft in the operation against ISIL; the Tornado GR4 and the Reaper, Remotely Piloted Air System. The GR4 is armed with Paveway IV Mark 2 and Dual Mode Seeker Brimstone. The Reaper MQ9 is armed with the Hellfire Missile.  GR4 and Reaper Operations in IraqMonthMissions FlownWeapons ReleasedDecember 20149155January 201510964February 201510131

Syria

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many armed sorties have been carried out by United Kingdom forces, and what ordnance has been released, over Syria in each of the last three months.

Lord Astor of Hever: The only armed UK aircraft operating in Syria is the Reaper, Remotely Piloted Air System. The UK Reaper has not released any weapons over Syria as no authority has been granted for the discharge of weapons from UK Reaper aircraft operating in Syrian airspace.  Reaper Operations in SyriaMonthMissions FlownDecember 20149January 20158February 20158

Russia

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there have been any Russian submarine activities within United Kingdom territorial waters over the past two years; and if so, where.

Lord Astor of Hever: I am not prepared to comment on intelligence matters or to disclose the detail of maritime operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Defence: Finance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 4 March (HL Deb, col 218), what was the Prime Minister’s response when the Ministry of Defence passed on the suggestion that he talk to the Leader of the Opposition with a view to enshrining in each of the main parties’ manifestos the principle that two per cent of gross domestic product be committed to defence spending, to take the issue out of the political arena.

Lord Astor of Hever: I refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister's comments on Defence spending at Prime Minister's Questions on 11 March 2015 (Official Report, columns 286 and 292). Decisions for 2016-17 and beyond will be a matter for the next Spending Review and the next Government. 



Hansard Extracts 11 March 2015
(Word Document, 26.5 KB)

Ukraine

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they assess the ability of the Ukrainian army to operate each of the various anti-tank firearms which might be lent to them by any of the NATO partners.

Lord Astor of Hever: It would be a matter for any donor nations to consider the Ukrainian Armed Force's ability to operate such weapons systems, not the UK.

Department for Work and Pensions

Families

Baroness Tyler of Enfield: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to deliver the outcomes of the Family Stability Review including doubling the funding for relationship counselling in 2015–16, as announced by the Prime Minister in his speech to the Relationships Alliance on 18 August 2014.

Lord Freud: The Prime Minister announced increased support for families and guaranteed that spend for relationship support would be at least £7.5m for 2015/16 and I can confirm this will be the case. We are in the process of finalising the details of contracting for relationship support services for 2015/16. As well as the continuation of a wide range of existing support services, we will include new provision for providing training and guidance for Health Visitors to recognise and respond to the signs of relationship distress, and the launching of a new pilot to test the inclusion of relationship education in peri-natal classes in 8 areas of the country. In conjunction we will also be offering a 6 month extension to all of the 16 Help and Support for Separated Families Innovation Fund pilots, which focus on helping parents going through separation to resolve conflict and work together in the interests of their children.This support comes alongside the government’s wider commitment to families through the introduction of the Family Test and the Troubled Families programme which aims to turn around the lives of 120,000 of the most troubled families in England by the end of this Parliament.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their criteria for referring people with disabilities on to (1) the Work Programme, and (2) Work Choice.

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of people with disabilities are supported into work on (1) the Work Programme, and (2) Work Choice.

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what checks are made to ensure that there is effective communication from Jobcentre Plus and Work Choice providers.

Lord Freud: Disabled people are able to access Work Programme support at a variety of points. Those on Employment and Support Allowance can enter the programme immediately after their Work Capability Assessment. Claimants on Jobseekers’ Allowance with a disability can volunteer from three months after the date of their claim. If Jobseekers’ Allowance claimants with a disability do not elect to join the programme at this point, they will be referred on a mandatory basis 12 months after the initial point of claim. To be eligible for Work Choice, a customer/claimant must be of working age, resident in the UK and disabled as defined by the Equality Act 2010. They must also satisfy the following suitability criteria:· experience complex employment support needs arising primarily from their disability; AND· have barriers in work that cannot be overcome through workplace adjustments required under the Equality Act 2010 and/or Access to Work support; AND· likely to need support in work as well as help with finding work; AND· cannot be helped through other DWP programmes/suitable provision; AND· expect to be able to work for a minimum of 16 hours or more per week following completion of Module One of Work Choice. The specific information requested for the percentage of disabled people supported into employment from the Work Programme and by Work Choice is not available. The Department checks accuracy of information through its tried and tested quality assurance process involving full sign-off of products by stakeholders and senior management. The Department, as part of the Work Choice provider guidance, prescribes the events that should be followed to ensure a clear, effective and salient approach to communications with participants receiving support under this programme. This is reviewed on a continual basis however any concerns or issues with individual communications are dealt with by exception rather than by routine or prescribed period checks.

Personal Independence Payment

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Freud on 10 March (HL Deb, col 542–3), how many people seeking personal independence payments are (1) awaiting new assessments, and (2) awaiting reassessment.

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Freud on 10 March (HL Deb, col 542–3), whether they are embarking on an evaluation of personal independence payment assessments with a "priority focus" for people with mental health conditions or learning disabilities, as recommended by independent reviewer Paul Gray in An Independent Review of the Personal Independence Payment Assessment.

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Freud on 10 March (HL Deb, col 542–3), whether they have any intention to revise their target of 16 weeks for personal independence payment assessment, to allow for more timely evaluations.

Lord Freud: On 28 January 2015, there were 97,900 new claimants to Personal Independence Payment awaiting an assessment with an assessment provider, down from 175,200 in September. At that same point there were 15,000 reassessment claims awaiting an assessment. The Department is currently considering the medium and longer-term recommendations made by Paul Gray in the first Independent Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and will respond in due course. As we made clear against this recommendation in the Government’s initial response to the review, understanding how the PIP claiming process is working and how it affects people is very important. As part of our performance monitoring, we are considering how we could best implement a comprehensive evaluation strategy which builds on the early evaluation research already published in July 2014. As the published statistics demonstrate, by 28 January 2015 the average claimant was waiting 14 weeks for an assessment, down from an average 30 week wait in July 2014. We are continuing to work with the Assessment Providers to reduce assessment waiting times further. All statistics are available from the PIP statistics home page:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics The next statistics are due to be published on 18 March.

Pensions

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce differences between survivor pensions received by surviving married partners in same-sex partnerships and those in mixed-sex partnerships, in both the public and private sectors and when they consider full equality will be achieved in that area.

Lord Freud: The Government has carried out a review of survivor benefits in occupational pension schemes. The review was carried out jointly by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Treasury, and was published in June 2014. It considered the differences in survivor benefits between different groups, and the costs and effects of eliminating the differences. The Government is considering the findings of the review, which provided important information on the costs and other effects of eliminating or reducing differences in survivor benefit provision. A decision on the review will be made and a response issued in due course, however it is vital that the findings are considered thoroughly before doing so.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Motor Vehicles: Rights of Way

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 3 March (HL5173), whether the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the National Trails will be directly represented on the proposed Working Party rather than rely on representation by Nature England.

Lord De Mauley: The composition of the motor vehicle stakeholder working group is yet to be decided, but before deciding on its composition we will, as a first step, invite interested organisations to put forward their suggestions for suitable members.

Lake District National Park

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of land in the Lake District National Park is in the ownership of (1) the National Trust, (2) the Lake District National Park Authority, and (3) private owners.

Lord De Mauley: We do not hold this information. However, the following indicative figures have been provided by the Lake District National Park Authority from its 2008 Landscape Character Assessment:   1) National Trust own approximately 25 per cent of the total land area of the Lake District National Park.   2) The Lake District National Park Authority own approximately 3.8 per cent of the total land area.   3) Approximately 66 per cent of the total land area is in private ownership.

Lake District National Park

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will advise the Lake District National Park Authority not to accept any offer to purchase Stickle Tarn until such time as South Lakeland District Council has processed and determined the application to place the tarn site on the List of Community Assets.

Lord De Mauley: I understand that, following the formal tender process, the Authority did not find a bidder for Stickle Tarn who fully met its requirements or fully addressed the concerns expressed by the local community and various interested parties. It remains committed to exploring alternative responsible ownership for Stickle Tarn and will work with the community and interested groups in the coming weeks.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Geothermal Power: Research

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to follow up the letter from the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Industry of Germany received on 4 November 2014 offering £15 million to support a collaborative United Kingdom–German geothermal research and development project at the Eden Project; and whether they intend to support that project and an application for European Regional Development Fund funding in the second and third quarters of this year.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government replied to the German Minister last year, expressing support for the principle of testing the technology in this area of crystalline rock, and welcoming the potential for joint working with the Eden Project and Cornwall County Council.Deep geothermal research and development will be a priority investment in the European Regional Development Fund programme for 2014-20, and is a component within Cornwall and Isle of Scilly’s European Structural and Investment Funds strategy.

Households

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the projected increase in households in the 2012-based household projections for England are as a result of (1) population growth, and (2) future net migration.

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish variant projections to accompany the 2012-based household projections for England published on 27 February.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Variant projections will be considered as part of the further analysis of household formation mentioned in the Household Projections Statistical Release.

Private Rented Housing: Greater London

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 and 20 January (HL3615 and HL4297) and his remarks on 4 March (HL Deb, col 272), which local authorities (1) opposed reform, (2) were not opposed, and (3) expressed no opinion, in response to their consultation on deregulation of short-lets in London; and why they did not provide that information in response to the previous questions from Baroness Gardner of Parkes.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Fifteen London local authorities responded to question 22 of the discussion document on Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector. Eight authorities responded to the effect that they opposed reform of the legislation: Haringey, Enfield, Camden, Westminster, Newham, Redbridge, Lambeth and the City of London. Seven were not opposed to a review: Lewisham, Sutton, Southwark, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Islington and Greenwich. The remaining eighteen of the thirty-three London local authorities did not respond to this question.   This detailed information was not provided in response to the questions on 7 and 20 January, as the Government had not yet concluded its consideration of the responses to the discussion document. The answers provided on 7 and 20 January explained that the Government had yet to publish its formal response to the consultation on the Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector, and that we intended to do so alongside details of our policy on short-term letting in London, prior to Lords Report Stage of the Deregulation Bill. The Government’s response to the discussion document, and proposed policy, was published in a policy paper on 9 February entitled ‘Promoting the sharing economy in London: Policy on short-term use of residential property in London’.   We took into account these representations from London boroughs and others, and as a result, introduced a series of checks and balances as outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 9 February 2015, Official Report, HLWS242. These were not in the original consultation paper, but were a consequence of the consultation.

Leasehold

Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to amend the qualifying threshold for leaseholders to activate a change of management under the Right to Manage scheme to enable those who fail to reply to be deemed to have agreed to a change of management in order to meet the threshold.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government currently has no plans to consider amending the criteria for exercising the right to manage, to enable non-responders to have been deemed to have agreed to a change of management.  Exercising the right to manage should not be taken lightly. There are significant responsibilities; it commits members to costs and creates liabilities.  In the circumstances we believe that it is essential that everyone understands the responsibilities and commitments they are making and it is therefore important they are actively engaged in the process.

Homelessness

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 March (HL5086), when the United Kingdom Statistics Authority expects to complete its assessment of "statistics on homelessness covering homelessness prevention and relief, and rough sleeping"; and where it will be possible to access a copy of its assessment.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Statistics Authority has re-prioritised its assessment to start in summer 2015. The publication of an assessment report would normally be around nine months after the start of the work. Once the work has completed an assessment report will be published at; http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/assessment/assessment-reports/index.htmlThis Government is committed to preventing and tackling homelessness. We have increased homelessness prevention spending, making over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to help the most vulnerable in society. Homelessness remains lower than in 27 of the last 30 years. It is around half the average level it was under the last Labour Government.

HM Treasury

Eurostar

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the consent of the European Union is required before the sale of the government holding in Eurostar can proceed; and if so, why.

Lord Deighton: As made clear at the time of the announcement, completion of the sale of Eurostar is conditional on regulatory approval, including EU competition clearance. This is because the transaction constitutes a change of control under Regulation 139/2004 and as such falls under the jurisdiction of the European Commission.

Multinational Companies: Taxation

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any internationally-owned companies operating in the United Kingdom which are paying less tax as compared to British companies.

Lord Deighton: HMRC does not comment on the tax affairs of specific taxpayers, as the department is bound by strict rules of confidentiality. It follows that HMRC cannot provide comparisons of particular businesses.   The UK corporate tax rules apply equally to multinational enterprises (MNEs) and UK-owned companies. All companies operating in the UK are required to pay tax in accordance with UK tax law, and HMRC employs substantial resources to ensure that all taxpayers comply with those rules. HMRC does not distinguish between MNEs and UK companies when carrying out compliance work.

Health Services: Devolution

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that other local areas can receive the same control over their health budgets as the Greater Manchester area.

Lord Deighton: The NHS and local government in Greater Manchester brought forward their own proposals for joining up health and social care services. This is a genuine and historic partnership between local organisations which will improve services for people living in the area.   In the first instance Greater Manchester and NHS England will be using existing powers to devolve budgets and establish joint governance arrangements. The powers are available to do the same in other parts of England. Success relies on strong local leadership and the right approach will be different in other areas.   The Government supports proposals that seek to improve care by joining up services, but it is for local areas to bring forward proposals and not for central government to impose any arrangements.

Monetary Policy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any allegations or evidence of market abuse have been brought to their attention in connection with the operation of the asset purchase scheme used to implement quantitative easing; and whether the Bank of England has investigated its own role in the administration of the scheme.

Lord Deighton: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced on 20 March 2014 that it had taken enforcement action against an individual for the manipulation of a UK government bond in the run up to a Bank of England Quantitative Easing (QE) operation on 10 October 2011.   The FCA’s investigation found this was the action of one trader on one day, and there was no evidence of collusion with traders in other banks. The FCA acted following information initially referred to it by the Bank of England, demonstrating the benefits of the Bank working in close co-operation with the FCA.   The Bank thoroughly reviewed its processes at the time, in addition to its ongoing monitoring and examination of QE operations. The Government is clear that misconduct in financial markets is unacceptable and takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. Any evidence relating to the potential manipulation of financial markets should be passed to the FCA.

Monetary Policy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what oversight they exercise of the quantitative easing programme to manage its risk under the HM Treasury Indemnity.

Lord Deighton: The UK’s monetary policy framework, set out in the Bank of England Act 1998, gives operational responsibility for monetary policy to the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). The MPC makes decisions on its policy tools, including quantitative easing, in order to meet the 2% inflation target in the medium term.   The framework for the Asset Purchase Facility (APF), authorising it to be used as a monetary policy tool, was set out in the exchange of letters between the then Chancellor of the Exchequer and the then Governor of the Bank of England on 29 January and 5 March 2009. The framework requires the Chancellor to authorise the ceiling on total asset purchases by the APF, given the indemnity the Treasury provides for the facility.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy Community

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department has responsibility for the United Kingdom's participation in the Energy Community established by Treaty in 2005 in Athens; and who has represented the United Kingdom as a participant at the Annual Ministerial Councils since 2010.

Baroness Verma: The Department has responsibility for the UK’s participation in the Energy Community.An official in the Department represents the UK at the annual Ministerial Councils.

Energy Community

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the United Kingdom's non-voting representatives on the Permanent High Level Group of the Energy Community.

Baroness Verma: An official in the Department attends the Permanent High Level Group of the Energy Community when the issues to be discussed require UK attendance.

Energy Community

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the United Kingdom's non-voting representatives on the Energy Community Regulatory Board.

Baroness Verma: The UK is not represented on the Energy Community Regulatory Board. The European Commission represents the EU Member States’ position at meetings of the Energy Community.

Energy Community

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who participates as representatives from the United Kingdom in the electricity, gas, oil and social fora of the Energy Community.

Baroness Verma: The UK does not participate in the electricity, gas, oil and social fora of the Energy Community. The European Commission represents the EU Member States’ position in meetings of the Energy Community.

Energy Community

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which of the taskforce and co-ordination groups of the Energy Community the United Kingdom is a participant; and by whom it is represented.

Baroness Verma: The UK does not participate in taskforce and coordination groups of the Energy Community. The European Commission represents the EU Member States’ position in meetings of the Energy Community.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to work with organisations such as Bite the Ballot to increase voter registration ahead of the deadline on 20 April.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to fund voter registration drives until the deadline for registration on 20 April.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government is committed to maximising electoral registration, investing £14 million across financial years 2013/14 and 2014/15 to support the costs of activities at a local and national level to maximise the number of people on the register. Nearly £11 million of this funding has been shared across every Electoral Registration Officer in Great Britain to support the costs of activities aimed at increasing the completeness and accuracy of the register.  Up to £2.5 million is being used to fund wider activity, including working with national organisations to encourage groups who are not as well represented on the electoral register in general, such as young people including students and overseas voters. Up to £500,000 will also go towards efforts to boost confidence in the elections process.

Department of Health

Social Services: Veterans

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to revise social care charging guidance for War Disablement Pensioners, in the light of a proportion of military compensation being regarded as income in local authority income assessments.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in relation to the treatment of injured veterans’ compensation payments within the social care system, their charging guidance differs depending on whether the injury was sustained before or after 6 April 2005.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in October 2012, they decided fully to exempt Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Guaranteed Income Payments from local authority means tests for social care, but did not do the same for War Disablement Pensions.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Armed Forces Covenant principle of no disadvantage due to service, whether they plan to exempt War Disablement Pensions from local authority income assessments for social care, as is already the case for civilian personal injury compensation.

Earl Howe: We are in the process of introducing fundamental reforms to how we pay for care and support that will make the system fairer for everyone, including veterans. At the moment, someone who is unfortunate enough to have the highest care needs may risk losing all they have to meet the cost of their care. These reforms will mean that, for the first time ever, everyone will be protected from the risk of catastrophic care costs. The proposals are currently out for consultation and can be found at www.careact2016.dh.gov.uk. A copy is attached. Personal injury compensation paid to veterans and civilians has always been fully disregarded provided the money is placed in a Trust. The War Pensions Scheme, which is available to those injured prior to April 2005, provides a range of allowances some of which were designed to pay for ongoing care costs and that is why these payments have been taken into account under the care and support charging rules. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, introduced for those injured from April 2005, operates differently. Officials in the Department are working with the Royal British Legion to review this issue and assess how the rules could be aligned in future to ensure fair treatment of veterans under both of these schemes. 



The Care Act 2014- Proposals for consultation
(PDF Document, 703.43 KB)

Diabetes

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in implementing a patient experience survey for patients with diabetes.

Earl Howe: The Patient Experience of Diabetes Services (PEDS) pilot, a module of the National Diabetes Audit, was run last year. While the potential value of this survey is clear, there are other competing priorities for adding modules to existing national audits such as this. There is a robust process for assessing these, as well as which new national audits should be considered. As such, NHS England will review the potential to fund the PEDS survey alongside other Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissioned national audit and associated modules.   Other NHS England surveys capture the experiences of people with a wide range of conditions including diabetes. However, with the exception of the cancer patient experience survey, the information is not collected by specific conditions. As part of a forthcoming review of patient experience surveys, NHS England will consider whether it is best to collect information as it does currently or by specific conditions.

Eyesight: Testing

Lord Low of Dalston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reform the Primary Ophthalmic Services Regulations 2008 to ensure that entitlement for additional services includes requests made by eligible persons attending special schools.

Earl Howe: At present there are no plans to reform the Primary Ophthalmic Services Regulations 2008. It is already the case that under the General Ophthalmic Services Contract Regulations 2008, contractors can contract with NHS England to provide sight testing services within such schools.

Eyesight: Testing

Lord Low of Dalston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children had a vision screen as part of the school entry health check in England in 2013–14.

Earl Howe: Data on the number of children who received vision screening as part of the school entry health check in 2013-14 is not held centrally.